A snippet of a doomreed fic that will probably never get finished:
Victors face is heavily scarred under the mask. Back in college, Reed remembers his smooth Romani features. The sharp jaw and large nose. And then the accident. And now the features are hidden in a sea of ridged scare tissue.
Reed can imagine the nerve damage, feels sympathy pins and needles in his own face and limbs when Victor very subtly winces once the mask is off. It must act as a compression device, a way to numb the pain.
“You made me hideous.” Victor hisses, accusatory.
“You aren’t hideous, Victor.” Reed whispers back, shock and awe radiating in his voice.
Victor scoffs. “It’s Doom now, Richards. And you’re a worse liar than you are a scientist.”
“I’m a great scientist.” Reed shoots back, focusing on possibly the least important part. It’s a bad habit of his, one that Sue detests. “Reed, are you even listening to me?” Has become as much as her catchphrase and “Flame on!” Was for Johnny.
“I’m sure that Thing that used to be called Ben Grimm would be inclined to disagree.” Victor, Reed will never call him Doom, snarls. He steps closer, and Reed has to stop himself from reaching up to cup his enemy’s face.
“That wasn’t-“ Reed cuts himself off. What was he supposed to say? That it wasn’t his fault? He dragged his wife and brother in law and best friend to space on a mission he could have done alone and now they are cursed for the rest of their lives. It was his fault. He knew it. “It was an accident.”
“I’m sure that helps him sleep at night.” Victor takes another step forward. He’s crowding Reed now, no doubt expecting him to cower. Reed continues to stand tall, stare Victor in the eyes.
“I didn’t lie.” Reed half mumbles now that Victor is close enough, steering the conversation away from Ben. “You aren’t hideous. You never have been. Even in school-“
“We aren’t in school!” Victor snaps. He’s close enough now that Reed can feel the static bouncing between their skin, not touching but begging to close the gap. “I could have been great. You ruined me.”
Reed doesn’t argue. He should have insisted on staying or fixed Victor’s calculations when he wasn’t looking or tried even harder to be friends and roommates. But he didn’t and now there’s no going back. Not for him. Not for Victor.
